Pacific Cebu Resort, Philippines: Scuba diving, beaches & beauty queens!
What do scuba divers and beauty queens have in common? You’ll find out in this fun post!
My film team and I visited the Philippines for the first time, as guests of Pacific Cebu Resort. As you can see from the photo above (with fellow travel blogger Rose Afaye), this is tropical paradise.
I took full advantage of the resort’s relaxation options. Lying in a hammock under palm trees… spa pampering… ordering fresh mango smoothies at all hours… oh yes.
But there’s more to Pacific Cebu Resort than lounging around. They have a top-rated diving school, and guests can get certified in all levels of scuba.
The Philippines have some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the world. Their waters are rich with tropical marine life: more than 500 species of coral and 2000 species of fish!
The 3D map shows that Mactan Island, Cebu is a prime place for under-the-sea adventures.
At Padi Gold Palm diving center, beginners can train with experts in various languages (English, Chinese, Japanese), and dive right from the resort’s long pier.
I went for a hippie look, in a breezy outfit from West LA Boutique. I’m wearing a white “Padang backless dress” by Jen’s Pirate Booty over a swimsuit, and over-sized House of Harlow 1960 sunglasses. I added tie-dye color with a rainbow silk scarf headband, and multicolored sandals from Shibuya in Tokyo.
I wish I could have joined the scuba lessons in the pool. Unfortunately, I have some eye and skin conditions that make it difficult for me to go underwater. Filmmaker Eric dove in for me.
While he learned about scuba safety, photographer Melissa Rundle and I went to explore the pier, which reaches far out into the ocean.
You can see the resort in the back: 6.5 hectares of palm tree paradise, with its own sandy beach front.
We took a break to eat seafood pasta under the romantic thatched roof. (All meals and drinks are included for guests.)
Pacific Cebu Resort has recently been renovated, under the new management of sáv Hospitality. We filmed one of the new rooms, a modern white interior with splashes of color.
The new suites have outdoor lounge beds overlooking the ocean.
… and a private patio, ideal for drinking wine and watching the sun set.
This blissful statue pretty much sums up how I felt during my stay here.
Back to the pier, this time to see Eric make his first dive. But he wouldn’t be alone…
… he was in the company of Filipino beauty queen contestants! These ladies were taking part in Miss Scuba Philippines, a pageant that raises consciousness about marine preservation.
I was one of the judges of the Miss Scuba competition, which was held a few days later. The contestants all learn to scuba dive, and the pageant quizzes them on marine conservation in addition to the usual swimwear, evening gown and talent portions. (I’ll do a full post about the beauty contest later on.)
Getting ready to descend into the clear blue. You can already see the clumps of waving sea grass and coral below the surface.
Eric makes the OK sign with his fingers. Since scuba divers can’t speak to each other underwater, they use hand signals as a visual communication.
He took this selfie with a GoPro camera, which lets you film and shoot in water. Stay tuned for mesmerizing footage from this dive.
I ended the day by watching the pink candy sunset, while sitting by the pool. Ahh.
Come gaze at more photos on the Pacific Cebu Resort Facebook. The resort fits the budget of young travelers, and is a quick flight from Hong Kong or Japan — so I hope you’ll keep it in mind for your next beach escape. Thanks to sáv Hospitality for these warm memories.
Have you ever snorkeled or dived? How do you like my pirate-hippie look?
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Steampunk cafe & Penguins in South Africa! Truth coffee, Cape Point, Boulders Beach.
Everyone knows you can go on safari in South Africa… but did you realize there’s a penguin beach colony and steampunk cafe here? No? Then waddle along with me as I discover these unexpected places… and get bitten by a few animals long the way.
From Cape Town, our driver took us for a 1.5 hour scenic drive to Cape Point, the southernmost tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. (Technically, the meeting spot fluctuates slightly, and Cape Agulhas is located furthest south on the continent — but let’s not nitpick.)
The winding road gave us incredible views of the mountains and fishing villages. We saw some hitchhikers, hanging out on the rails…
These red-bummed monkeys are native baboons! (More on them later.)
My team and I stopped briefly to take in this view of the mountain ranges and ocean. July is winter in South Africa, hence the slightly menacing weather. I kept warm with a Hakuna Matata cat hoodie from Artbox in Seoul.
My Gothic version of Baywatch “running on the beach.”
This little dog seemed to be sniffing for seafood. Photography by me, Melissa Rundle and Eric Bergemann.
Back to the road trip along the peninsula. It’s as good thing we didn’t stop to pick up a barrel of monkeys…
… since all the road signs warned us to steer clear of “Baboons!”
Another quick stop, this time at Cape Point ostrich farm. It was established in 1960s, as a breeding ground for these fluff-bodied, bald-headed birds.
Visitors can aww at the baby ostriches in the pen. If you are brave, you can purchase a bag of food to hand-feed the ostriches…
I gave it a try, and this angry-looking ostrich pecked my palm! Yes, I screamed.
Finally, we made it to Table Mountain National Park. The sign shows the coordinates of Cape Point. From there, it’s an easy 30 minute walk to the lighthouse.
We filmed so many incredible shots from up high — can’t wait to show you the video. After this mini-hike, we were ready to eat. A lot.
We dined like kings at Two Oceans restaurant: grilled local hake, langoustines and other sustainable seafood, washed it down with white South African wine. (Very impressed with the wines here, particularly from Stellenbosch.)
And then… it was time to see the African penguins! Wait, what? Yes, there’s a breed of black-footed Happy Feet, found only in these South African waters.
Boulders Beach is only a short drive from Cape Point, and it’s home to a large colony. These penguins flocked here in the 1980s and took over the beach.
Today, this is a popular attraction for visitors. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see hundreds of cute penguins?
There’s a small entrance fee, which lets you get up close and personal with the little guys. A sign warns, don’t pet the penguins.
But filmmaker Melissa didn’t listen, and found out the hard way. Cute as they look, these penguins bite! (Remember she also touched the Table Mountain dassie…)
The closer we got to the sandy beach, the more penguins we saw. Some of them clustered together and played.
Others were babies, still with their fluffy down overcoats. The park set up these little cave-homes for the penguin families to live and breed in.
How cute, this pair of penguins leaving webbed footprints in the sand.
At the end of the path, it was penguin-mania! This breed makes a funny braying noise, like a donkey. A few were waddling around, but most were resting on their stomachs.
A lone penguin dips his foot in the ocean. Isn’t the Cape Peninsula gorgeous?
As you can see from the shadows, Boulder Beach is a favorite destination. Coming here was one of my favorite moments in our South African press trip.
Another highlight was visiting Truth Coffee Roasting, a Steampunk cafe. (Address: 36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town)
These “pirates” are passionate about producing the best artisan, small batch coffee — ever. Truth’s steampunk decor captures this spirit of experimentation and adventure.
I’m drinking a “flat white,” a beverage similar to a cappuccino, but with less milk and a velvety foam.
(My fringe top is by Japan pop-punk brand Listen Flavor, from Shinjuku Closet Child.)
All around the cafe, I saw gears, brass, clockwork and old-time machine parts. The baristas even dressed in top hats and suspenders.
The food here is as excellent as the coffee, including the chocolate croissants, and “steampunk breakfast” of organic eggs, vegetables and flatbread.
The focal point of Truth is “Colossus,” a 1940s Probat roaster with a cast iron drum, tricked out with mad scientist parts.
Truth Coffee often has wild performances and events befit for airship pirates, such as burlesque shows and steampunk parties. How cool, to see how people around the world are inspired by this subculture.
Were you surprised to see penguins and steampunk in South Africa? The more I travel, the more I discover…
LA CARMINA
